Asian Americans struggle with suicide

(01-24) 11:31 PST SAN FRANCISCO --
Jeannie Wong arrived in the United States with the hope of starting fresh away from her native Hong Kong. But life in America has been hard.

Four decades ago, during a visit to San Francisco, she met the man who would become her husband. She married him at age 30, and they had two sons. She worked as a cashier at a Chinese restaurant in Chinatown.

The good years faded fast. Her husband beat her and called her names, she said. They divorced. She got along with her sons less as they grew up, making her think she was a poor mother, she said.

With a family across the ocean, few friends and a limited grasp on English, Wong sank into depression. She was prescribed antidepressants and antipsychotic drugs, but thoughts of suicide still entered her mind.